Essaouira Arts & Crafts

Essaouira Arts & Crafts

Essaouira (Mogador) is a laid back town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, it is famous for being a great surf spot because of its windy weather most of the year, hence its nickname "city of wind" or "windy town"

But other than that, Essaouira has many other interesting things to offer.. mainly arts and crafts.

The local souk inside the medina with its divers small shops will entice you to do some nice shopping. Essaouira has a variety of products ranging for all of Morocco’s popular merchandise to the local specialties of the region like thuya wood, raffia shoes, some amazing vibrant local art, and organic argan oil, which is Morocco’s liquid gold.

A quick tour of some of the shops and local stores in the medina's narrow streets:

 Thanks to Essaouira's skilled artisans, fragrant thuya wood (a conifer native to northwest Africa) is turned into all manner of boxes and decorative objects that you could buy for relatively cheap price.

You will also find small shops that offer selections of art work by local artists and artisans, like colorful paintings and prints, hand-woven throws, bags and jewellery.

Galleries of retro furniture could also be found in the medina of Essaouira, You might be amazed by the treasures that those galleries have, from old film posters or antique Berber (Amazigh) doors that you can get as a souvenir.

Buying a nice carpet can be a piece of work in Marrakech, but the experience will be slightly different in Essaouuira, the vendors don't talk too much to make you feel pressure to buy, plus you will have the opportunity to learn some good info about the various carpets in display like its age, origin and the meaning behind seemingly random markings and designs. The prices generally good but there's always room for some bargaining.

Vintage silk blankets are not to be missed either, handiras and natural-coloured wool blankets complete with pom poms. You'll find them as you wonder the tiny streets of the medina.

Not only arts and craft, Essaouira can also satisfy your desires in you are into fashion and accessories. The town has some super stylish stores that offer a nice mix of Moroccan and Morocco-based designers of clothing for men, women, and children too.

If you visit Essaouira during warm or hot times then give yourself the pleasure to wear sandals or shoes made out of Doum palm fibers. You will find them all over the medina.

None can talk about Essaouira region without mentioning Argan oil, the golden liquid of Morocco.. either for eating, cooking with, or for cosmetic use, Essaouira is full of shops where you could buy pure organic certified bio Argan oil.. Along with Argan-based products such as Amlou (similar to jam) or cosmetic products from skin care to shampoos and soaps.

Spice up your shopping in the souk by getting for nice spices as well, You’ll find all manner of potions, powders and pyramids of freshly ground spices.

All that and more is available all year long and could be explored in less than half a day in tiny medina. you can do it in the morning and still have enough time to enjoy the sun at the beach in the afternoon.

But remember to bargain.

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Essaouira - Mogador

Essaouira - Mogador

Essaouira (Amazigh: ⵎⵓⴳⴰⴹⵓⵔ Taṣṣurt, Arabic: الصويرة‎, as-Ṣawīra)(or Mogador like the Portuguese used to name it) is one of the most beautiful town on the west coast of Morocco, here are the best places of Essaouira in videos:

Part one

Part two

And here is a video about the Gnaoua (or Gnawa) music festival that happens every year in Essaouira:

More about Essaouira from Wikipedia:

Essaouira (Amazigh: ⵎⵓⴳⴰⴹⵓⵔ Taṣṣurt, Arabic: الصويرة‎, as-Ṣawīra) is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. The city was known in the time of 11th-century Geographer al-Bakri and, as he reported, was called Sidi Megdoul. In the 16th-century, a corruption of this name became known to the Portuguese as Mogador or Mogadore. The Amazigh and Arabic names mean the wall, a reference to the fortress walls that originally enclosed the city.

History:
Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.

Recent years:
In the early 1950s film director and actor Orson Welles stayed at the Hotel des Iles just south of the town walls during the filming of his 1952 classic version of "Othello" which contains several memorable scenes shot in the labyrinthine streets and alleyways of the medina. Legend has it that during Welles's sojourn in the town he met Winston Churchill, another guest at the Hotel des Iles. A bas-relief of Orson Welles is located in a small square just outside the medina walls close to the sea. It is in a neglected state being covered in bird droppings, graffiti and with a broken nose. In addition, the dedication plaque below it has been stolen (as of Dec 2008). Several other film directors have utilised Essaouira's photogenic and atmospheric qualities.
Beginning in the late 1960s, Essaouira became something of a hippie hangout. Despite common misconception, Jimi Hendrix's song "Castles Made of Sand" was written in 1967, two years before he visited the castles of Essaouira. Cat Stevens also spent some time in Essaouira.

Essaouira today:
The Medina of Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is a UNESCO World Heritage listed city, an example of a late 18th-century fortified town, as transferred to North Africa by European colonists. Major problems currently are deterioration of the extensive ramparts around the Medina; and widespread violation of laws against motorized vehicles (primarily mopeds) within the Medina.

Full Article here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essaouira

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Morocco: Weather

Morocco: Weather

 One of the things that any visitor or tourist ask about before booking a tour or an excursion in Morocco is the weather. especially if they want to book a tour to the desert of Merzouga and do camel trekking, because it can be very hot there at times, especially in July and August. On the other hand tourists that are interested in visiting the beaches like Agadir are more into sun, while the ones interested in surf for example are looking for the wind that they usually find in Essauira. Lucky for all those visitors, Morocco has everything they want.


Weather in morocco is so mosaic too as morocco is, in one single day you can feel how cold is the atlas mountains then you can drive some hours to feel yourself too hot at the sahara dunes and oasis.

at the coasts reign the oceanic moderated climat, at the northen band the mediterranean cool climat sometimes cold.

weather at the atlas mountains (inland) is cold and very influenced by height with his snowfall winter, in the south reign the saharian hot climat.

sunshine levels are more than 10 in marrakech , fez , agadir and ouarzazate.

Depending on the places you want to visit in Morocco, make sure you pick the best time of year before booking your tour.

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